Blessed Not Stressed Pt 2

TOP 10 SECRETS OF THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE

According to psychcentral.com these are the 10 most common attributes that happy people have in common.

1. They Practice Gratitude.

2. They Enjoy Their Own Company.

3. They’re Honest and Tell the Truth.

4. They Make Time for Fun.

5. They Make Sure to Get Enough Sleep.

6. They Practice Forgiveness.

7. They Help Others.

8. They Enjoy Their Work.

9. They Have Good, Healthy Relationships.

10. They Believe in Something.

Jesus is the Centre of all things..

"For from him and through him and for him are all things." - Romans 11:36

JOHN 3:16….FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE....

The most Generous act in History by God the Father who sent Jesus to this earth for you and I.

Generosity personifies the character of God.

Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too.I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich

— 2 Corinthians 8 (MSG)

1.Everybody can be Generous

They were “desperately poor.”

· Often we see generosity as something we do when we can afford it.

· Generosity is not an affordable item.

· Generosity comes from a position of your heart, not a position of your head.

"They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!"

2.Generosity is Evidence of God at work.

Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province.

·Generosity is an evidence of a person walking with God.

3.Generosity Opportunities are not always timely.

Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit.

·Generosity is often defined by the circumstance.

Mark 12 (The widow) "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."

· The opportunity of generosity is defined by the circumstances surrounding it. Generosity, in this case, is defined as what she couldn’t afford.

4. Generosity is the result of Revelation.

vs5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

· The fight was between the natural (reason) and the spiritual (revelation)

· The generous opportunity will be a decision of revealed conviction.

· When you give out of Revelation and Conviction, Lord calls it PURE.

5. Generosity leads to Purity of heart.

The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts.

· John 3:16 For so loved that "HE GAVE"…..

· Generosity comes form the place of "SO LOVING"....

· "SO LOVING" demands ACTIVATION….

· You can give and not love but you cannot love and not give.

6. Generosity is a privilege and spontaneous.

They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard.

· It becomes an a privilege because “WE GET TO” as compares to “WE HAVE TO.”

Generous - Self Assessment

Generous - Self Assessment

Here is a little self assessment you can take to help you of your journey of Generosity..